Ponga’s wonder try all in vain
A REMARKABLE length-of-thefield try by fullback Kalyn Ponga was not enough to inspire Newcastle to victory against Gold Coast at CBus Super Stadium yesterday.
In a see-sawing contest, the Titans prevailed 33-26 to end a five-game losing streak. It was the Knights’ third successive loss.
With Newcastle leading 20-18 in the 61st minute, Newcastle winger Ken Sio fielded an Ash Taylor clearing kick deep in his in-goal.
Sio carried the ball back into the field of play and linked with Ponga, who beat two tackles and raced 95 metres to score a sensational try and underline his claims for a Queensland Origin call-up.
That gave Newcastle a 26-18 lead, but a fumble by Daniel Saifiti gifted the Titans possession and a try by winger Anthony Don, converted by Taylor, made it a two-point ball game.
Taylor then kicked a penalty goal, after a Connor Watson high tackle, to lock the scores at 26-26.
A fortuitous try by Titans five-eighth AJ Brimson, after Shaun Kenny-Dowall spilled a bomb, broke the deadlock. Taylor made sure of the result with a 78th-minute field goal.
The Titans went to halftime with a 12-8 advantage. Taylor had a hand, or foot, in Gold Coast’s two first-half tries. He hoisted a towering bomb in the eighth minute that Ponga, under pressure from Michael Gordon, was unable to catch cleanly. Gold Coast prop Ryan James regathered possession and Brimson fired out a pass to winger Phillip Sami, who scored in the corner.
Gordon converted from the sideline, then made it 8-0 with a penalty goal midway through the half. The Knights responded in the 28th minute when centre Sione Mata’utia crashed over after a Watson pass.
Halfback Brock Lamb added the extras, then equalised with a penalty goal four minutes later.
A minute before the interval, Taylor attacked a short side and offloaded to centre Dale Copley, who scored.